The Big Tech rumor mill has resurfaced rumblings that Apple is working on a developing a proprietary TV set. CEO Tim Cook has apparently priortized production of a dedicated Apple TV panel, to be positioned as a central hub to control the Apple smart home ecosystem, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg. While Apple is a devices company first and foremost, the company’s decision not to enter the TV marketplace is fundamentally due to its strategic pivot towards slinging software and services. Hardware is increasingly a low-margin business, with smart TV makers like Roku and Samsung well on the road to becoming majority advertising-funded businesses, not hardware businesses. This is why the secret Apple TV set, codenamed J490,…